Princess Mononoke: The Puppeteer
by LieutenantX
Summary: A man comes to New Iron Town seeking revenge for meeting with San long past. Who is he, and how is he connected to the Black God Baal? Finished!


Princess Mononoke is the property of someone other than me. Keman, Keanu Polomar, and any ass-kicking, naginata-and-forty-five-wielding likeness thereof are property of Killerprimeape slash LieutenantX and any use without permission will cause swift a flaming death. Baal as used in this fanfic was my idea, but I don't care if you use him.  
  
  
  
Princess Mononoke: The Puppeteer  
  
(Camera pans across the Feudal Japanese countryside)  
  
Narrator: Years ago, a man came to the Great Forest. He wished to take the life of a wolf. His attack brought him face to face with the Princess Mononoke. She fought him, and he barely escaped with his life. Now, he has been consumed by hate, and has returned to the Great Forest seeking revenge...  
  
(P.M. title theme plays, Princess Mononoke: The Puppeteer flashes across the 'fic in bold white letters. Camera pans to New Iron Town)  
  
It was a cold day to be on watch. It was winter, and snow had fallen. The fact that Li couldn't find a large portion of her cold weather gear didn't make it any better. From here, she had a good vantage point over all of New Iron Town, from the recently built houses and town center to the men in the fields. It was really too bad that Ashitaka loved the wolf girl. He was such a hunk! She kept being distracted by him when she had watch. Unfortunately, he was gone today, most likely capering around in the forest. Oh well. The human mind wants most that which it cannot have, she heard once. On another side of her was the forest, its trees had grown back into the strong walls that she had remembered from before the (AUTHOR'S NOTE: *Cough cough*) incident (*cough cough*). It had been almost unnatural. She went to bed one day and they were saplings, the next day they had grown what seemed like three inches overnight. The gods had been reborn in that time, though rumor was they were merely descendants. It was indisputable, though, that full-grown giant wolves, boars, and apes had been seen at the fringes of it. War was a part of the past, however, and an understanding had been reached between Man and Beast. The forest ceded enough land for New Iron Town to farm and survive, and the humans generally left the forest to itself past that. Li hefted her bow. How she missed the old comforting weight of her arquebrus! Returning to her watch, she noticed a figure coming around the pass. It was alone, merely a black shape carrying a walking stick. Sunlight glinted off metal, though, and she realized it was a naginata, much like the ones the armory was filled with. She pointed it out to the others, and soon the entire guard assembled, prepared to deal with any threat. Arrows were notched in bows, though none were drawn. As soon as the man was within earshot, the guardsmen/women perceived him more definitely. He wore simple white traveling clothes beneath a very light chest plate of armor. He had a red veil drooped over his face, much in the style of a ninja. In one arm he held a bag, and in the other a naginata. It was different from the ones in the armory, though, Li noticed. For one, it had a longer blade and hilt. Second, the blade itself was much broader and had less of a sweep, almost looking like the shorter swords people were rumored to use in the far west. All in all, he looked slightly haggard and weary.  
  
"May I ask what city this is?" he yelled up.  
  
"New Iron Town. State your business."  
  
"I come from lands far away, but am just passing through. I need a place to sleep for the night before beginning what may be a perilous journey through the great forest."  
  
He withdrew the veil, revealing a very handsome face.  
  
'I hope he's not going home to a wife!' Li immediately thought. The man had a strong chin beneath brown eyes and shaggy blonde hair. He smiled; revealing only slightly crooked teeth.  
  
"I am willing to pay."  
  
"No, you can stay for free!" yelled a woman, sending a ripple of giggles through the crowd. The lead guard for that shift motioned to the people on the ground, and ten men quickly began shoving against the gate. The man again smiled, then ducked beneath the gate and entered the city.  
  
'Excellent.' He thought.  
  
Ashitaka danced away from the dagger as it whistled in front of his nose, San smiling as the two sparred. He dodged another thrust and parried a third before leaping over a low kick and catching her forearm just as it brought a fourth stab at him. This time, he threw a low kick and sent San on her back, the dagger flipping end over end before nestling in the grass. He bent down and gave her a quick kiss, then he stood and sheathed his sword. He whispered a goodbye and mounted Yakul. San sat up and waved as Ashitaka rode back to New Iron Town.  
  
Keman (Pronounced Kay-mun) lay back in the room he had been given. Solitude was something he preferred, and was glad he had not been missed after ducking out of the men's common house. He didn't really even care if he had. He was here, finally, after so much journeying, he was back. For some time he had thought that he had merely made a mistake, and had been grateful that he could still walk, along with eat sleep and breathe. He remembered that day. Keman was a soldier of fortune. A ronin, or masterless samurai, he did odd jobs for whoever needed one done. He had cleaved heads, collected ingredients, and even led armies. He had done many things for money, but now did this for himself. He remembered, all those years ago...  
  
(Begin Flashback)  
  
At night, Keman stood outside the walls of Iron Town, the black plain stretching on before his eyes. Beyond that was the forest. What he had come for. A man he had met in some village offered a good sum of gold for Keman to bring a pint of wolf's blood. He tightened his grip on his blade, then lifted the red veil over his face. He would bring more than a pint. Collecting his wits and examining the black ninja clothes he wore, everything was in order. Pouches in the belt contained anything he may need, from smoke bombs to small amounts of rice in case the hunt dragged out. He knew that the 'best' would have disguised their scent, snuck around. Keman didn't sneak. If he smelt like a human, than all the better. It would be the last scent to fill the wolf's nostrils. Keman dashed across the plains, ready for the hunt. Entering the edges of the forest, he heard dry leaves under his feet. He leapt into a tree, kicking off and into the limbs of another. It didn't matter if he smelt like a human, but clattering about like a whole army wouldn't help, either. He stopped for a moment, on a limb, ignoring the nearby Kudama. After smelling for the scent of wolf, he turned to the spirit, cocked his head, and put a finger to his lips. The creature mimicked him. Keman snorted then leaped onwards, towards the scent. Emerging at a river, he saw a mass of fur washing itself in the stream.  
  
'Look what I spy with my little eye... wait...'  
  
Keman did not believe there were mole gods (specifically ones that reeked of wolf), so what was this? It was too small to be even a wolf cub. It turned to face him, revealing a beautiful painted face.  
  
"Emperor's bleeding greed!" Keman whispered to himself, luckily unheard by the woman.  
  
She walked on two legs, but besides that moved exactly as a wolf, with pride and coiled strength. Keman assessed the money he could make doing... well... anything with her. On top of that she was attractive! Keman had hit the jackpot! He smiled beneath the veil. Running silently along a limb, he waited until he was directly above her. He hated to mar the pretty face, but he needed money, forget the wolf blood. He leaped, preparing to slam her across the head with the blunt end of his weapon, when, as he dropped, she did a most unusual thing. She dove away, without even looking at him. When she came up from a roll, she had a clay mask down over her face, covering her eyes and mouth. There was a glint as she drew a dagger. He smiled again beneath the veil. Fiery, this one.  
  
"You're worth more than any amount of wolf's blood, yes."  
  
Keman saw her visibly recoil at what he said. He was sure she was revolted. Not just an 'act of defilance' on what appeared to be her forest, but a plan against her as well. No matter. A dagger couldn't even compete against his weapon, much less him. She swiped at him, as if for intimidation. The two circled.  
  
"I see you could smell the human on me. Well, you may take this as a matter of pride, but I found you by the retching stench of wolf."  
  
She leapt at him with a yell, the dagger thrusting. He dodged left, the blade whistling harmlessly past, and swung the butt of his weapon into her stomach, causing her to grunt and fall to one knee. She threw her head back and howled after slipping the mask off.  
  
'Oh, shit.'  
  
Keman had enough time to back towards the river, not quite getting to the mouth of the clearing, before two very, very large wolf pups leaped from the foliage. He kept his blade between the two pups and himself, backing towards the river. One leaped, and Keman thrusted with his naginata. The wolf stopped short of the blade, while its brother tackled Keman. He slammed to the ground, his blade rolling away and into the shallow water. He tilted his head and leaned to one side as the wolf's jaws clicked shut where he had been a second before. He pushed with his feet and skittered away from the pup, giving it a kick to the nose. His suit and flesh had been torn open by the wolf's claws, leaving a distinguishing series of scars he would bear for his whole life. He dove for the naginata and was nailed by the girl. She had leaped upwards, and as he dove she brought her foot into his back, killing his motion and grinding his face into the ground. His hand clasped for the weapon but found only air. She brought the dagger down in a stab to his shoulder, and yelled with triumph as the blade broke flesh, sheared muscle, and cracked bone. Keman screamed and threw her off, withdrawing the dagger from his arm and throwing it as far as he could. His right arm limp, he ran to grab his weapon and dove into the water, the wolves standing at the edge of the water. The girl stood between them, and removing her mask, yelled something unintelligible to him. Keman merely floated down the river, longing to be found by some godforsaken fisherman. He looked to the bank one last time. The girl and wolves were gone, but in their place was a Kudama. It's mouth was an 'o' of confusion, and it rattled its head at him once before Keman rolled his head back and stared at the sky for a short time before blacking out.  
  
(End Flashback)  
  
Keman lay back again, tracing his finger over the three long scars he still bore, anticipating the hunt that he would have soon. Very soon, he would have his revenge for the shame of the mighty mercenary slash warrior slash assassin slash gofor slash apprentice slash general Keman being found floating unconscious and owing his life to some foolish child who pulled him onto dry land. He clenched his right fist. He would kill her, the nameless wolf-girl. He would spill gallons of wolf blood, or die trying. He wanted to take her head and... Keman banished the foul thoughts from his mind. A true warrior anticipated battle but not victory. So were the words of his teacher, so many years ago. He was ready for battle, justice by combat. A knock came at his door. He sat up and put one hand on his naginata.  
  
"Come in."  
  
The door slid back, revealing a man in blue clothes, his brown hair hanging about his face.  
  
'Well, he looks quite a bit like me!' thought Keman, his hand withdrawing from his weapon.  
  
"My name is Ashitaka. Someone told me you'd be here."  
  
"Keman, if you have not heard."  
  
"That's an odd name."  
  
"It's a name with a story, as well. But that is for later."  
  
After Keman rose, Ashitaka bowed, and Keman returned it. Ashitaka's eyes darted to the weapon lying beside the bed.  
  
"Your weapon is unlike any I have seen before."  
  
"It was made as payment, specifically designed by me. It's one-of-a-kind."  
  
"Payment for what?"  
  
"That is something you would rather not know." In reality, it was something that people were still angry at a nameless red-veiled ninja for, but Ashitaka need not know that.  
  
"So, is there anything else you would speak of?" Keman inquired  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Would you like to spar, tomorrow?"  
  
"I usually avoid fights."  
  
"It isn't a fight, just practice. I must keep sharp if I'm going to survive a passage through the forest."  
  
"The forest is much more peaceful since you last saw it."  
  
"More peaceful for the forest is still to perilous for me."  
  
"All right, I yield. I will spar with you." Ashitaka smiled, and the first spark of friendship between the two shone.  
  
"Tomorrow."  
  
"Tomorrow." Ashitaka replied, and left.  
  
Ashitaka had a nightmare that night, something that had not happened since the demon had infested his arm. It felt strong, like the premonition he had had the day San and the boars rode to war. In it, San was pursued by a man in dressed in black. Alone, she could not hope to defend herself. The wolf gods could not be found, and she had lost her dagger. The man leaped from tree to tree, a sword in hand. He could do nothing. The man dropped from a limb just before her and placed his sword through her heart. He screamed 'no', over and over again. The man withdrew his sword, and San fell onto him. Pushing the corpse away, he looked at his bloodied sword. Running two fingers over it, he placed the blood-covered digits beneath his black veil and undoubtedly ran them between his lips, tasting her blood. Ashitaka had no eyes to close as he removed her head in samurai custom. He lifted San's head and laughed. He turned to Ashitaka then, reveling in victory, and said in a familiar voice, one he could not place. At first, it reminded him of the Wolf God, San's mother. Then he thought of Jigo, the monk. But it was none of these, or maybe all, Ashitaka could not place.  
  
"You will kill her. You will stand in my place and only after she falls away in your arms will you realize what you have done. Your arrow will pierce her heart and you will be consumed by hate once more. So I say, and so fate has dictated. You will kill what you love most, then I will kill you. That is the way of things."  
  
With that, the veiled figure rushed at Ashitaka with his sword brought back, and Ashitaka saw it enter where his neck would be, heard the sickening noise of a blade cleaving flesh. That was the last impression of the dream before he awoke.  
  
"High right!" Ashitaka cried before bringing a blow on Keman. Keman easily parried. "Low right!" Keman replied, and Ashitaka leaped over the swing. "Center left!" Ashitaka brought a swing at Keman's midsection. Keman caught it on what would be the wooden section of his weapon, had they not exchanged both real ones for completely wooden equivalents. Keman did not attack, but instead dropped back and began to circle, his weapon in a neutral position, ready to either attack or defend.  
  
"Ready to go for real?" Keman challenged.  
  
"It is your decision."  
  
"Let's go then!"  
  
Keman laughed as he brought his weapon down in an overhand chop. Ashitaka easily caught it with a block, and placed a kick in Keman's midsection. Keman brought his knee up and blocked the kick, the pulled his weapon back and attacked with a series of advancing thrusts, each one parried by Ashitaka. After the last parry, Keman brought the blunt end of his weapon around in a swing that hit Ashitaka in the abdomen. Ashitaka grunted and placed his free hand on where the blow had landed. Keman grinned and threw a low right to high left swipe. Ashitaka backstepped, letting it breeze harmlessly before his nose, then twisted left to avoid another thrust, averting his eyes for a moment. Keman capitalized on this and swept Ashitaka's legs out from under him with the blunt of his weapon then brought the blade to bear above Ashitaka's head.  
  
"Yield?"  
  
"I yield."  
  
Keman extended an arm and lifted Ashitaka from the grass. They bowed.  
  
"Where did you learn to fight like that?"  
  
"I'm technically a Ronin, ex-Samurai, but I've picked up some tricks in my years of wandering the earth."  
  
"Ah."  
  
They told jokes on the way back to New Iron Town.  
  
Ashitaka visited San later that day. As he set foot on the cliff above her home, that same cave he had spoken to the Wolf God at, he yelled her name.  
  
"San! Hello!" He cupped his hands to amplify his voice.  
  
He felt arms gently, silently circle his neck.  
  
"Boo."  
  
Ashitaka didn't turn around.  
  
"San!"  
  
She giggled.  
  
"Remember you love someone who sneaks up on things much more sensitive than you are."  
  
"You almost made me jump."  
  
"Shhhhh."  
  
The sun began to set, and she kissed him lightly on the neck.  
  
"Just enjoy it with me." She said, and Ashitaka brought his arms around her, still his back to her front, and clasped his hands together over the small of her back. They stood like that, saying nothing as the sun set. They were together, two people in love and beyond removal from each other. Baal himself could not have pried them apart. Then, the stars came. And, dear God, the stars! They filled every place in the sky, forming constellations, patterns there, and stretched on as far as the eye could see. Asitaka turned around, then, and looked at San for a moment, lost in the beauty of her eyes, as white dots reflected on them for soft moments. They shifted slowly, back and forth, disappearing for a moment as she blinked, then there again as she opened those beautiful eyes. He placed a hand on the side of her head, just below her ear, and brushed the back of his hand through her soft hair. Her scent filled his nostrils, that of all nature. Every tree, animal, and living thing she spent day to day with came together in a beautiful harmony that he had relished since the moment it first wafted into his lungs. He kissed her, then, gently, as they had been with each other this entire time. Their lips met in the act that showed merely a glimmer of the love that ran between them. San's warmth next to him, her beauty fully there before him. They stayed together like that for time upon time until they both broke it, gasping for breath leaning on each other's shoulders and laughing. After Ashitaka's heart and removed itself from his ears, he leaned his head down to where his hand was and whispered to San.  
  
"I love you, by the gods I love you."  
  
"I love you, Ashitaka."  
  
"San."  
  
They stayed in that embrace as the earth cooled, but they merely felt warmer. From the bottom of the cliff, a wolf looked up at the two humans, shook its head, and walked on.  
  
'Sickening' Thought Keman from a nearby tree.  
  
'I make a friend, and he's in love with someone I need to kill. Why must life be so complex?'  
  
He pondered that for a moment, tut-tutting.  
  
'Bah, friend or no friend. I'll have my revenge.'  
  
Keman lifted his red veil to spit, then leaped away into the night.  
  
The next morning, San awoke in Ashitaka's arms. (AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Now stop it!) She lay like that for a moment, remaining there where she knew nothing could hurt her, a place of complete safety, and the wriggled out of his embrace.  
  
She would not feel complete safety again for a good while.  
  
"You big lug!" she muttered, giggling, as he rolled onto his stomach, still asleep. Walking onto the ledge, she admired the view, ready to go find breakfast. She drew her dagger and climbed the ledge to above the cave. There, she found the first in what would be a long series of surprises. A dead rabbit was lying at the foot of a tree, its neck broken. Above it was a note pinned with a ninja shuriken.  
  
'I'm back, princess of the wolves. Enjoy the meal. It will be your last.'  
  
A drawing of a red veil was beneath the writing. She remembered that day...  
  
(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Bah. I'm too lazy to type the whole thing over again.)  
  
Ashitaka awoke to the smell of stewed rabbit. San was sitting on the ledge, staring into the fire.  
  
"San?" asked Ashitaka, concern in his voice. She looked distant, concerned. Not looking at him, she handed him the note. He read it, concern in his voice.  
  
"The rabbit was next to it."  
  
Ashitaka sat next to San and put his arm around her. She leaned on him.  
  
"It will be all right."  
  
Looking at the note again, Ashitaka thought.  
  
'Where have I seen a red veil before?'  
  
Ashitaka left for a moment, retrieving his bowl, a ladle, and two pairs of chopsticks from Yakul. (AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, okay, I'm shutting up. But I wonder how long it took to teach San how to eat with implements?)  
  
They shared the stew, held above the fire on some skin or other.  
  
Keman had not been seen in New Iron Town since the previous day. He was, in fact, asleep in the crook of a tree, his veil pocketed and the bandanna that formed a black cap tucked away in another hidden pocket. A Kudama poked him gently. He batted at it, still snoring loudly. Unfortunately, this caused him to lose his balance, and he fell to the ground. Fully awake, he bounced up, fists in a combat stance. His naginata fell flat next to him, and he let loose a flurry of blows in its direction. Recovering his senses and shaking his head gently, he removed his bandanna and placed it over his hair, then his veil and tied it below his chin, still exposing his face and a strand or two of his bangs. Lifting his naginata, he pulled from a pocket a few strips of jerky, which he chomped down greedily, then followed it with water from a hidden flask. Sticking his weapon through his belt, he leaped into a tree and began jumping his way towards the cliff he had seen.  
  
It took a good part of the day, but San convinced Ashitaka that, though she knew he was concerned for her, he should go back to New Iron Town. He mounted Yakul, and with a 'hya' rode into the forest. A black shape, suspended horizontally between two parallel branches like a spider, smiled as he left, then looked onward at the cliff, and the girl upon it.  
  
Time to do what he was normally paid to do. Keman swung upwards and jumped to a steady foothold on a large branch, small enough to lean around but large enough to conceal him from his target. He pulled a shuriken from its pocket.  
  
(AUTHOR'S NOTE: But doesn't this guy have more gadgets on him than a Swiss army knife?)  
  
San wondered where out there the human was, hunting for her. She thought she saw movement, but was almost sure it was a bird. Was that a wolf or the glint of sun on metal? Apes or ninja? She was getting paranoid... Then, a small, whistling noise. She spun around, dagger out, and struck the tiny star from the air. It rolled away, but not before she saw what it was. A four-point ninja shuriken.  
  
'Dammit!' thought Keman, ducking back behind a limb.  
  
"Listen up!" He heard her yell.  
  
"Human, I remember who you are and know why you are angry, but trying to assassinate me with my back turned is the path of a coward and a fool! Come out and fight! I know you can! Do some foolish ambush like you did the last time we met!"  
  
Keman clenched his fist. Call him a coward, will she?  
  
'I'll kill her, I swear I'll kill her painfully.'  
  
He dropped from the limb and into sight, veil up. He brought his naginata into fighting position, its unique blade ready to do what it had been designed for. It had not been designed for a samurai or villager's pure strength in number. It was designed for an assassin's precision, to find the one weak point in any suit of armor. It was designed to attack in one specific way, do one specific thing:  
  
Remove heads. His Ronin past shone through with this show of respect to samurai custom.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
He advanced towards her, blade out.  
  
Ashitaka heard the clang of metal-on-metal, then shouting. Turning Yakul, he rode back as fast as the elk would carry him.  
  
"HYA! HYA!"  
  
At the edge of the clearing, he leaped from Yakul and paused for a moment to string and then notch an arrow in his bow. Assessing the situation, he saw San and the red veiled ninja, circling. San leaped at him, a savage growl escaping her lips. The ninja danced back, away from the dagger swipe. San swiped again, and he blocked it with the wooden section of his weapon, catching her wrist and forearm, as the dagger itself would tear through the hard wood. San threw a punch at him, and he parried it with an open hand, and then struck her in the chin, her teeth closing with an audible click and sending her to the ground. Ashitaka drew his bow.  
  
"YOU THERE!" He bellowed.  
  
The man turned, and Ashitaka let the arrow fly. The man's naginata came up, chopping the arrow in half. He twirled it like a baton, the black and silver becoming a blur, and then stuck it into the ground, his arm outstretched over San's fallen body. It was then that Ashitaka noticed its blade.  
  
'...One-of-a-kind...What could be a perilous journey through the forest...'  
  
Why didn't he see it sooner! Setting his bow in the grass, Ashitaka drew his sword.  
  
"Keman."  
  
"Ah, I see you remember my name."  
  
Keman reached behind his veil, deft fingers untying the knot. It drifted down, coming to rest on San's chest, rising and falling slowly. Her eyes snapped open, and she rolled away from the descending blade. It landed where her neck had been a moment before, much as that wolf's jaws all those years ago.  
  
"Stop! Don't fight!" Ashitaka commanded, running between them, holding San back with one hand, blocking Keman's attacks with the other, showing major effort in doing so. Keman stopped thrusting and slashing with the blade, but continued circling. He still wore a black bandanna over his hair, which had left only a small strip of flesh when he wore his veil. Now they could see his full face, but only a strand or two of hair flitted across it. The short tails of the firm knot in its back waved gently in the breeze.  
  
"I remember promising to tell you what my name meant, Ashitaka. Well, I will now. My original name, the one given to me by my father, is of no importance. My name as it is now has very deep meaning. In lands I have ventured to, Ka is their word for fate. Ka-tet are a group that is meant to be in the web of fate, much as you and San. Also, when two fight, it is said to be a duel between their Ka-tets. Kiith is life, one's strength within Ka. And finally Ke. It means 'the fated', 'fated one', or something like that. I am the fated man. My Kiith runs strong, as does yours. Now, we duel. A battle of Ka-tets, to see which follows the web of fate."  
  
Keman, The Fated Man, lunged again with renewed vigor. Ashitaka danced away from the blade, barely avoiding evisceration. San broke out from behind him.  
  
"You want a fight..." she yelled dagger brought back and ready to thrust through his heart.  
  
"San, NO!"  
  
"...Here it is!"  
  
Ashitaka pushed her out of the way as Keman brought his blade to a level position. She thrusted at open air, inches to Keman's right. Had Ashitaka not pushed, she would have impaled herself without Keman having to twitch. Seizing an opportunity, Keman placed the blade of his weapon to an off- balance Ashitaka's throat.  
  
"Hold, wolf-girl."  
  
San stood with her back turned to Keman. She slowly turned around. Ashitaka stood uneasily, his sword held out away from his body to the side, his head turned to the right, Keman's blade twitching gently as it pressed against where Ashitaka's pulse ran.  
  
"Both of you lower your weapons. Slowly."  
  
San growled as a wolf would.  
  
"What makes me think I'll listen to any human?"  
  
"What I saw last night makes me think you will be lowering that, before Ashitaka loses his head."  
  
San dropped the dagger into the dirt.  
  
"You, now."  
  
"Is the friendship between us worthless?"  
  
"No. But the two factors of one, you won't let me kill the girl and two, a week from now I'll be miles from here, seem to weigh a little heavier."  
  
Ashitaka sighed and dropped his sword.  
  
"Excellent."  
  
Keman swept his weapon around and slammed the blunt end against Ashitaka's temple. The man went down in a re haze of pain. Keman followed through, until he held the weapon with its point facing back. Not even needing to look, he thrusted. San gasped as the blade broke flesh, sheared muscle, and cracked bone. Ashitaka, even reeling in pain, recognized the sound and rose to one knee, fighting to remain conscious.  
  
San looked down at a growing red spot as numbness spread throughout her legs. Keman turned to face her, hands never leaving the weapon, and smiled, showing his glistening teeth. He twisted the blade left, then right in quick succession. San's legs buckled, her spinal cord severed. Keman withdrew his blade from her stomach and lifted it before his face, basking in the glory he felt, the redeeming of something that should have never happened. He admired the redness of blood, a shade you can find nowhere else, the deepest, richest shade red could become before seeming too dark for his taste. He ran two fingers over the blood-covered blade, then placed them between his lips. The taste of blood is indescribable. A woman's blood, so it was, but his hate for her brought such sweetness to it. It was what he had longed for. The scent of her death, unlike the reek of her life, with the dirt and trees and filthy beasts she spent day to day with, was almost narcotic. The taking of a life had never felt so good, even in the days of samurai battles for Lord Takeda. Ashitaka stumbled towards San, and fell to one knee again at her side, his head still throbbing. Her chest rose and fell shallowly. She turned her head towards him, the pain coursing through every vein in her body indescribable. Ashitaka cupped one hand around her head, one around her waist, and pulled her to him. The stench of blood and bodily fluids made him want to retch. He cried into her hair, and she said nothing. He felt her breathing become shallower.  
  
"Don't die, San, Dear God don't die!" he mumbled, his voice cracking. With her last ounce of strength, she wrapped her arms around his neck. One arm didn't quite make it, and began to fall away... Ashitaka gently eased it behind his head, and laced the fingers together. Still mumbling 'don't die' over and over again, his words trailing away slowly as he saw their futility, he lifted her, one arm encircling her shoulders, the other her legs. He hugged her close, and she pressed her face against his chest, eyes half open, not saying a word. He looked at her, sorrow in his eyes, as finally he felt her last bit of life slip away. Her head lolled eyes half open.  
  
"no...dammit...no..."  
  
He set her down again, and folded her arms across her chest. Passing a hand over her dead eyes, he closed them. He picked up his sword. Keman had his back turned to all this, staring over the cliff at the sinking sun. Ashitaka felt for the first time since the final battle hate that threatened to consume him. He lifted his sword and his eyes became steel points. He rushed at the man dressed in black, standing on the edge of the cliff and reveling in victory. As his footsteps drew nearer, the Ronin turned and brought his weapon up, batting aside Ashitaka's charge.  
  
"Her blood is on your hands." He said, circling Ashitaka. Ashitaka looked down, and saw that this was true. His hands were stained red with drying blood, as was most of his tunic.  
  
"Figuratively, Ashitaka." Keman said in the tone of a frustrated teacher attempting to educate the village idiot.  
  
"YOU failed to save her. YOU failed to protect her. And YOU failed to understand the powers of hate."  
  
"That's not true. I did everything in my power to help."  
  
"Than why do I still breathe?"  
  
"No one should die. It shouldn't end this way."  
  
"Spoken as the foolish pacifist that thought I was a friend. Let this be a lesson, Ashitaka: Hate always wins."  
  
As Keman spoke the last three words, Ashitaka heard a faint undertone in the other man's voice. Something terrible, something that sent a chill down his spine. It was something evil. A demon inside the fortune hunter's body, twisting him to do this? Ashitaka knew the powers of hate. The night San  
  
(Her blood is on your hands)  
  
had attacked iron town, hate had given him enough strength to cause some peace, had spared him long enough to be spared again. It had given him strength beyond mortal man, something beyond incredible. Keman began to circle, and then he lunged. It was a horrible, off-balance attack that Ashitaka easily parried.  
  
If hate for San gave Keman his strength, then San's death must have removed that burst of ability. Keman had suddenly become pitiful. Ashitaka sidestepped another thrust, then brought his sword down on the weapon's shaft, severing it but leaving a sharp point. Keman pulled it back, dazed, and assessed the damage to his precious weapon.  
  
"Damn you!" Keman yelled, running towards Ashitaka.  
  
"I have no other choice." Ashitaka spoke, gently, and thrusted with his sword.  
  
The world fell away. Ashitaka was suspended in infinite blackness, Keman still visible, weapon brought back over his head, but frozen. San still lay on whatever passed for ground behind him, but everything else was gone. Ashitaka's sword was inches away from Keman's stomach. Ashitaka moved to go into a guard position, not knowing what to expect, but found his sword rooted to the spot. It would not move. Ashitaka became aware of a dim popping sound. It took him a second to register it. Applause. He turned and saw a thin man, with short black hair and cold, cruel black eyes. He wore a smile from ear to ear, exposing perfectly white teeth behind thin lips. He also wore all black, the darkest black fabric Ashitaka had ever seen, and strange shoes. They were black as well, but heavy and they had the shine of polished leather. The word 'boots' came to him, for some reason. It seemed to fit the shoes well enough. The man was also clapping gently, not in appreciation but simply to mock Ashitaka.  
  
"Excellent, excellent." He said. His voice was that of a thousand screams of pain, the voice of Naga before he had died for once and all, the whine of the demons, the Lady Hiboshi when angered. The voice of everything that had ever hated anything or had been affected by hate.  
  
"Ashitaka, isn't it?" the man said. He walked towards Ashitaka, the boots clicking on empty space. "It is indeed interesting to meet you. One who has destroyed my plans twice, not without help, of course," he nodded towards where San lay. "But an enemy of myself nonetheless."  
  
Ashitaka remained silent as the man cocked his head and leaned closer.  
  
"You may have heard of me." Said the man as he walked past Ashitaka and began examining Keman.  
  
"My name is Baal."  
  
Baal lifted the sword that floated midair as if it were made of a feather. He walked towards Ashitaka again and released the sword so that it floated within arm's reach of Ashitaka.  
  
"Who do you think you are?" Ashitaka asked, his voice steady.  
  
"Who do I think I am?" Baal yelled.  
  
"Who do I think I am?" the man repeated, his eyes literally blazing, the red becoming flames, tongues of lightning flashing across them.  
  
"I am Baal! God of blackness! God of Death! God of Evil! I am Baal, God of Hate! I am Hate itself! Incarnate! I created the demons that nearly slew you and your people! I created the guns to create demons and spread hate across the world! I twisted the common criminal Jakem's soul into Keman, my servant forevermore and your supposed assassin! You, Ashitaka, were foolish enough to meddle in my plans not once but twice! The world would be at an open, hate-fueled war by now, with you, San, and the lesser gods dead along with those blasted Amishi, all of Iron Town, and the great forest! My plan was perfect, with hundreds of years of nudging, corrupting, and influencing done to bring it to pass, then you and that wolf girl became Aphrodite's champions. After that idiot weakling the forest spirit placed my demon mark under control, Aphrodite gave you the strength to survive. She gave you the strength of love, Ashitaka, as if the strength of hate wasn't enough. It is she that brought you and that beast-woman together so that you could siphon love's strength and put an end to my beautiful plan."  
  
Baal began to pace as his voice calmed.  
  
"Who is Aphrodite?"  
  
"She is the Goddess of love, my opposite. There are two High Gods, Ashitaka; Baal and Aphrodite. Long ago, we were one omnipotent being. But then we created the lesser gods, and our bond broke. Since then, we cannot agree. She spreads love, I spread hate, always remaining in a stalemate. A child's rhyme, Ashitaka, but true. She is... she is my sister. Anyway, after the incident, I looked for revenge. I looked amongst all those corrupted by hate. My agents, if you will. Keman, formerly Jakem the Samurai, twisted to hate at my hand for the purpose of becoming a general later in the planned war, was perfect. A mission he had attempted on his own had given him a spark of hate at San. I decided that he would be my champion. I blew his spark into flame. I filled him with such hate that he became one of the most lethal fighters ever conceived, versed in both ninja assassination and martial combat for both stealth and front-on battles, and carrying a weapon that was excellent for both."  
  
Baal nodded at Keman's frozen naginata.  
  
"You know the story after that."  
  
"What do you want?" Ashitaka asked.  
  
"To make a deal." Baal replied, smiling.  
  
"I'll tell you what. I will revive San. I will fill Keman with hate for you both. I will place you all in the Great Forest. Then, justice by combat will ensue. Winner takes all. Should you win, Keman will be dead. I will have lost my champion, and will accept defeat and leave you, New Iron Town, and the Amishi alone."  
  
"And if I die?"  
  
"If you die and San kills Keman, she will live out her life alone. The same for you. The loss of your love would be a fate worse than death, Ashitaka. If you both die, Keman will become very influential. He will disappear from New Iron Town. Your bodies will be found. The beasts will blame the humans, and humans will blame beasts. Guns will be re-forged, and my plan as well. Keman will lead a faction born during that war. Either they or my demons will destroy both New Iron Town and the Amishi."  
  
Ashitaka thought silently. Becoming impatient for an answer, Baal began speaking again.  
  
"If you refuse, San will remain dead and Keman will die. I will continue attempts on your life, forcing everyone you have ever remotely wronged to come and attempt to kill you, from Jigo to Gonza."  
  
Ashitaka sighed.  
  
"I have no choice. I accept."  
  
"Excellent."  
  
Baal evaporated like mist. A wind swept from nowhere, blowing the strands of vapor away.  
  
"Ashitaka?"  
  
Suddenly, Keman disappeared and the world became an endless white. The exact opposite of what Ashitaka had been in earlier, the white was full, unlike the dark's emptiness. San was still on her back. It was she that had said his name!  
  
"Ashitaka?"  
  
She sat up. Ashitaka ran to her side, dropped to his knees, slid the last few inches, and embraced her.  
  
"San! Sansansansan..."  
  
He repeated her name over and over, hoping that it would keep her from leaving him again. She embraced him as well.  
  
"Excuse me." Came a voice. Ashitaka looked over his shoulder, and San looked past him.  
  
"Please, stand up." The figure said. Ashitaka did so. The voice of this one, it was the exact opposite of Baal's grate. This was love's softness, the voice of every compassionate giver that had placed a meal in a poor traveler's belly, or given a few coins to a beggar. It was the voice of the elderly couple, the voice of the innocent child. It was all that was good and pure. Ashitaka turned and shielded his eyes. After the darkness, the sudden light blinded him.  
  
"Aphrodite?" he asked  
  
San saw a beautiful woman, clothed in a white gown. Her long golden hair spilled down her back. (In short, Galadriel from Lord of the Rings) She shone with inner light. Ashitaka remembered Baal's phrase 'Aphrodite's champions', and debated on weather he should bow. He decided not to.  
  
"Ashitaka."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You have entered into covenant with my brother."  
  
"Who's her brother?" San whispered.  
  
"My brother's name is Baal. He is all evil. He is god of hatred, and is strong enough in it that he can corrupt all but the purest of heart with a series of hate's nudges. That's what he did to Jakem. Those that fall prey to him lose their souls, and are bound to him for all eternity." Aphrodite answered, overhearing.  
  
San shuddered at the last three words.  
  
"I can help you only slightly. First, take this." She said, and extended in one hand a sword, an exact copy of Ashitaka's. Engraved on the side were runes.  
  
"This blade will cut through any armor. Also, when it kills an agent of hate, it releases their soul from its bond. I can assure you, Jakem does not do as he does voluntarily. I hold no grudge against him. He will be reincarnated with 'no strings attached'."  
  
Ashitaka took the sword, kneeling.  
  
"And San, take this." She seemed to pull the spear from nowhere.  
  
"It is finely weighted, and uses a tip made of metal that is stronger than anything ever made. It will bury itself in stone if thrown, but will withdraw as if in water."  
  
San took the spear and twirled it once. It was indeed well balanced. It seemed to weigh nothing at all!  
  
"Now, I leave you. Good luck, and may the gods watch over you."  
  
They both fell away through time and space. Ashitaka thought he saw a dove, but was certain he was mistaken.  
  
Ashitaka did not awake next to San, as he thought he should. He bolted upright. He was in a field. He knew this field, and it's relative position to where he'd been fighting with Keman. He stood, and the dream flooded back to him. He drew his sword, ready to run back and fight Keman, not taking a moment to wonder why he'd had such a powerful hallucination... until he saw his sword. Engraved on it were white runes.  
  
"It was no dream." He whispered to himself, twisting the blade bank and forth as the sunlight played off the steel. Ashitaka shook his head and ran back towards the den.  
  
Keman dashed through the trees, his new weapon strapped across his back. He had had a conversation with Baal much like Ashitaka and San's conversation with Aphrodite. He was to become a great general, and then a lord and ruler to be remembered for generations! His destiny as champion of the most powerful god in all eternity was coming to pass, and once he merely killed these two his fate would be sealed. He would be remembered as the most cunning fox to... well, do anything! His nostrils picked up the scent of wolf. He kicked off hard on the next tree and sent a kudama flying as he raced toward his goal.  
  
San awoke on the same ledge the battle had started at. She looked around and called out,  
  
"Ashitaka!"  
  
There was no answer. She turned and walked into the cave, then through the exit in the back. She scrambled up a tree.  
  
Yes, all you kung fu fans. The last battle of this fic is going to be one of those peaceful bamboo forest tree-to-tree leaping insane distances with aid from a springy branch battles. Yes, I know those are Chinese and no, I don't care! As it was, San and Ashitaka pursued intersecting courses. If you sort of zoom the camera out like this... yes... you'll see that Keman is currently tracking San by her scent, sly devil that he is, and San and Ashitaka, purely by coincidence, will intersect... oh, let's say here. *Draws an 'X' on the screen* Anyways, enough from me. Back to the whole serious, high-emotioned action fic!  
  
Once they met, San called out Ashitaka's name. He looked up and, upon seeing her, waved. She dropped to the ground not a foot away from the nearest mighty tree and stood before him.  
  
"So, what do we do?" she asked.  
  
"I'm not sure. We could wait, or go looking for him."  
  
"NO NEED!" Bellowed Keman as he dropped from the branches, swinging his weapon. San and Ashitaka scattered. The blade cut through the nearby tree. It fell. San hefted her spear. Ashitaka drew his sword. They looked at Keman, and were not surprised by what they saw. Keman was still wearing black ninja clothes, except these were different. In the other set there were notable differences, tears, and signs of wear. These seemed to be new, and instead of having loose sleeves with hidden pockets, he wore a leather belt with pockets on it. The sleeves were bound tight up to his elbows, and the legs of his costume were bound similarly up to his knees. His feet were bare except for a single strip of black fabric that went across the flat, open space that the author cannot recall the name of (Arch?), likewise the palms of his hands had a strip of black fabric wrapped around them. The tails of the bandanna he still wore were longer, nearly reaching his waist, and had red calligraphy written on them. In his hands, he carried a scythe. Keman swung at San. She leaped over the attack and came down in an almost exact repeat of her attack on Gonza long ago. Keman used the momentum of his attack to roll forward and to his feet again. San landed on flat earth. Ashitaka then charged Keman, slashing and thrusting. Keman deflected the attacks easily, and when San attempted to join the fray he began dancing backwards. Eventually he turned and ran. San threw her spear. It buried itself in a tree behind where the ninja had been m0oments before. Keman rebounded off a tree and into another's branches. San natched her spear, placing the slender shaft between her teeth, scrabbled up another. Ashitaka followed Keman's moves precisely, the beginnings of fatigue coming over him. Keman ran. Slowly they came to a part of the forest Ashitaka had never seen. Odd, long green stalks grew with moss-like branches growing out. As Ashitaka leaped from each one, they gave slightly, and landing on a branch caused it to bend down somewhat. (AUTHOR'S NOTE: In layman's terms, bamboo. Yes I know it doesn't grow in Japan and no, I don't care.) Then, as a cluster of leaves passed between the two, Keman seemed to disappear. Ashitaka stopped and San managed to catch up with him.  
  
"What happened?" She asked.  
  
"He's hiding, somewhere. Look up."  
  
They scanned the higher branches, but there was no sign of the ninja. Then, there was a recognizable sound: A blade cutting through something. The plant the stood on began to tilt. Ashitaka tried to leap away, yet the force of his kick only propelled him downward faster. He fell and caught a lower branch, and was suddenly staring the dark ninja Keman in the eyes.  
  
"Boo."  
  
Keman swiped with his scythe, holding onto the branch with one arm. Ashitaka swung his body away, letting the scythe fly past, and then planted both feet in Keman's stomach. Keman kicked back, Ashitaka blocked with his shin, and then Keman swung away, rebounded off a tree, and dove after San, who had landed farther down. Ashitaka followed closely. San, seeing the black shape coming towards her, kicked Keman across the jaw as he fell. He dropped his scythe and spun lazily in circles until he hit the ground, feeling a leg snap.  
  
Ashitaka dropped to the ground and looked at his former friend, and kicked him. Keman groaned.  
  
"You killed San."  
  
Keman groaned again.  
  
"You pretended to be a friend. You forced me to make a deal with the most evil entity in existence, and now I will make you pay."  
  
He sheathed his sword and lifted Keman's scythe. He brought it back over his head, suddenly hating the ninja, and began to bring it down.  
  
"Stop!"  
  
Ashitaka felt hands keeping him from killing Keman. He looked up and into San's eyes. She was standing across from him, on the other side of Keman's corpse.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Can't you see? He's using you!"  
  
"Keman couldn't..."  
  
"Not him! Baal!"  
  
And Ashitaka saw himself, standing over a fallen enemy with a cursed blade, ready to drop the final stroke, his soul full of hate and pain. And he heard Baal somewhere, laughing at how he had played Ashitaka for a fool. In killing Keman, Ashitaka would need to hate Keman. And hating would make him Baal's servant. Everything was going according to plan.  
  
"I- I'm sorry, San." Ashitaka said and dropped the scythe, then drew his sword.  
  
"It's all right..."  
  
Ashitaka knelt by Keman's side.  
  
"Jakem..."  
  
"Keman." The ninja replied.  
  
"Jakem, I know you're still in there. You aren't completely corrupted. Come back to the light..."  
  
"No... I hate you..."  
  
"That's Keman speaking."  
  
"Kill me..."  
  
"No."  
  
"Jakem, listen to me. You're in there, somewhere..."  
  
"Ashitaka..." Keman's eyes softened.  
  
"Friend..."  
  
"Friend..." Jakem replied.  
  
Somewhere on another plane of existence, Baal screamed obscenities at nothing.  
  
They set Jakem's broken leg and used his headband to bind a splint to it. San and Ashitaka helped him to the edge of the forest, where San left and Yakul waited. The months went by. Jakem healed fully, and met Ashitaka one morning outside his house, holding his new naginata, sheathed. A bag was slung across his shoulders, and he again wore the red veil and rough traveling clothes.  
  
"You're leaving." Ashitaka said.  
  
"Yes." Jakem replied.  
  
"You won't stay?"  
  
"No. I have... old friends I must find."  
  
"Partners?"  
  
"No, nothing like that."  
  
"All right."  
  
"I'll come back sometime."  
  
"Goodbye."  
  
"Goodbye."  
  
They embraced.  
  
Fin' 


End file.
